[Illustration:  BERRY POMEROY CHURCH.]

We had a look in the old church, where there were numerous tombs of the Seymour family; but the screen chiefly attracted our attention.  The projection of the rood-loft still remained on the top, adorned with fan tracery, and there was also the old door which led up to it.  The lower panels had as usual been much damaged, but the carved figures could still be recognised, and some of the original colouring in gold, vermilion, green, and white remained.  The figures were said to represent St. Matthew with his club, St. Philip with the spear, St. Stephen with stones in his chasuble, St. Jude with the boat, St. Matthias with the battle-axe, sword, and dagger, St. Mary Magdalene with the alabastrum, St. Barbara with the tower, St. Gudala with the lantern, and the four doctors of the Western Church.  The ancient pulpit was of the same period as the screen, as were also the old-fashioned, straight-backed, oak pews.

[Illustration:  THE SCREEN, BERRY POMEROY CHURCH]

The vicarage, which was as usual near the church, must have been a very healthy place, for the Rev. John Prince, author of The Worthies of Devon, published in 1901, who died in 1723, was vicar there for forty-two years, and was succeeded by the Rev. Joseph Fox, who died in 1781, aged eighty-four, having been vicar for fifty-eight years.  He was followed by the Rev. John Edwards, who was vicar for fifty-three years, and died in 1834 aged eighty-three.  This list was very different from that we had seen at Hungerford, and we wondered whether a parallel for longevity in three successive vicars existed in all England, for they averaged fifty-one years’ service.

[Illustration:  PARLIAMENT COTTAGES.]

There were some rather large thatched cottages in Berry Pomeroy village, where Seymour, who was one of the first men of rank and fortune to join the Prince of Orange, met the future King after he had landed at Brixham on November 5th, 1688.  A conference was held in these cottages, which were ever afterwards known as “Parliament Buildings,” that meeting forming William’s first Parliament.  Seymour was at that time M.P. for Exeter, and was also acting as Governor of that city.  When William arrived there four days afterwards, with an army of 15,000 men, he was awarded a very hearty reception, for he was looked upon as more of a deliverer than a conqueror.

It was only a short distance from Berry Pomeroy to Totnes, our next stage, and we were now to form our first acquaintance with the lovely valley of the River Dart, which we reached at the foot of the hill on which that picturesque and quaint old town was situated.  Formerly the river had to be crossed by a rather difficult ford, but that had been done away with in the time of King John, and replaced by a narrow bridge of eight arches, which in its turn had been replaced in the time of William and Mary by a wider bridge of three arches with a toll-gate upon it, where all traffic except pedestrians had to contribute towards the cost of its erection.  A short distance to the right after crossing the bridge was a monument to a former native of the town, to whom a sorrowful memory was attached; it had been erected by subscription, and was inscribed: